The second episode of The Vampire Diaries airs tonight.

The highlight of it - tiny spoiler alert! - will be the first-ever meeting between Damon and Elena. In a new interview, star Ian Somerhalder hints that this may be a turning point for his character.

How come? Because Elena may invoke a change in Damon. Here's a bit of what Somerhalder had to say:

On the humanity of his character: The redeeming qualities that Damon possesses, we may not see for a while. When you peel back the layers a little bit, you start to understand why Damon is doing what he's doing. Again, you don't have to agree with him or his methods, but you start to see bits and pieces. The question is, is there any humanity left in him? As much as he would like to say absolutely 100% not, maybe there is.

On Elena's effect on Damon: You know, when Damon's in the presence of Elena, that is when you definitely see a change in him. There is something so profoundly attractive to Damon about this girl, not only just because Nina Dobrev is strikingly beautiful and extraordinarily talented, but because there's a lot of Nina in Elena and Elena is very sweet and [she's] going to be a complex character. Something about her reminds Damon of something that was very important in his life, and that's why you see a bit of difference with him when he's around her.

As always, we'll post a complete recap of The Vampire Diaries soon after the episode ends; complete with photos, quotes, music and more!

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.